TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent Reform Party's Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam has set up a Facebook group calling for the abolition of GRC or Group Representative Constituency which has garnered 140 members so far. According to him, the facebook is: "For all those who believe that GRC's are simply an obstacle to true representation, have no place in a Democracy and that Singapore should go back to SMC's." The GRC system was introduced in 1988 to ensure "minority representation" in Parliament though ethnic minorities had won in single seats against Chinese opponents in past elections most notably Kenneth's father, the late Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam who won in the predominantly Chinese ward of Anson twice in 1981 and 1984. Critics of the system claimed that it enabled "weak" PAP candidates to "ride on the coat-tails" of heavy-weight ministers and disadvantaged the opposition who is unable to find many credible candidates to compete in the GRCs. The opposition has never won a single GRC since its inception. The closest they came to was in 1988 when the Workers' Party trio of Francis Seow, Dr Lee Siew Choh and Mohamad Yakcop won 49.1 per cent of the votes in Eunos GRC. As the redrawing of electoral boundaries fall under the ambit of the Electoral Boundary Review committee, the GRC system is open to rampant gerrymandering by the PAP to dilute bases of opposition support. GRCs who witnessed closely fought contests often "vanished" into thin air without any reasons in subsequent elections. For example, Eunos GRC which was twice won narrowly by the PAP was dissolved and absorbed in neighboring GRCs in the 1997 election. Cheng San GRC was won by the PAP with only 54 per cent of the votes in the 1997 election. It "disappeared" from the electoral map altogether in subsequent elections. The GRC system is instrumental in perpetuating the PAP's political hegemony without which it will probably lose a dozen more seats to the opposition. Despite rising opposition to the GRC system from Singaporeans, the PAP is unlikely to abolish it completely as this will mean dismantling their own power support base.  Read More →

OPINION In a speech made to Tanjong Pagar residents recently, Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore’s future over the next five to 10 years is an "optimistic" one. Lee did not elaborate on the reasons behind him thinking so, but he appeared to bank his hopes on the tourism industry spear-headed by the two IRs drawing in the necessary number of visitors to give Singapore's domestic economy a boost. Though the state media has been busy of late trying to generate positive publicity for the IRs, external observers are not too optimistic about their success. An analyst from Citicorp Anil Daswani expressed doubts about the profitability of Singapore’s two integrated resorts in September last year. In a report on the prospects of Las Vegas Sands (LVS), which owns Marina Bay Sands (MBS) here, Citi said that assuming MBS contributes 20 per cent of LVS’s total Ebitdar in its first full year, every eligible Singaporean will have to go to the casino five times a year and spend more then the average visitor to Macau. However, a hefty entry fee of $100 is likely to put off some Singaporeans. Furthermore, unlike Las Vegas or Melbourne, Singapore has a small population of only 5 million people. Ronnie Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd., Hong Kong’s fifth-biggest developer by market value, said recently in a Bloomberg Forum in Hong Kong that the two casino-resorts in Singapore will fail because they won’t be able to attract high-rollers: “The big rollers are what make money in casinos, they will never come to Singapore, it’s a family entertainment” location. You think big-rollers will go to Singapore where they have teeth and fangs coming out sideways? There are too many rules. I was in Sentosa island, I really think that it’s going to be a flop…..The whole integrated entertainment industry, I’m worried for them. The good thing about Singapore is that if you flop, you’re given a second chance,” he said. Singapore cannot depend on the IRs to spur economic growth. Neither can attracting MNCs to set up manufacturing plants in Singapore do so as our workers are becoming more expensive compared to our neighbors. The key to a nation's success lies largely in growing the personal wealth of the middle class which forms the bulk of the population and to ensure that the lower income group do not fall further behind. The seeds of Singapore's decline and eventual failure have already been planted a few years back by the ruling party which is running fast out of viable ideas to lead Singapore into the next phase of development. Singapore's economic growth in the last few years has been fueled by the easy availability of cheap foreign workers which boost GDP figures by keeping labor costs down. However, Singapore cannot depend on cheap labor forever to gain an edge over its competitors and we may already have crossed the limits. According to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the relentless influx of foreigners has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standards of living. While the rich has become richer, the middle class and the poor has become poorer as a result. The negligible increase in the wages has been offset by sky-rocketing property prices which plunge Singaporeans into ever greater debts and wiping off their retirement savings. The lack of a comprehensive social safety net for the vulnerable and needy in the community has perpetuated a vicious never-ending cycle of poverty. Only the rich elites and foreigners have benefitted from Singapore's economic boom, but a nation cannot survive solely on these small group of people. The ruling party's recent U-turn in its economic policies to place more emphasis on productivity is nothing more than a rehash of the productivity drive launched in the 1970s and 1980s. In order to increase the income of the average Singaporean, we have to start producing high-valued goods which our competitors like China, Malaysia and Vietnam can't. We have to evolve into a knowledge-based economy like Japan, South Korea, Finland and Sweden instead of relying on manufacturing, tourism and other industries to continue to thrive and prosper. Due to the high cost of living in Singapore, Singaporeans cannot expect to compete with workers elsewhere in terms of cost. Stagnant wages and inflation will lead increase the level of stress and tension thereby contributing indirectly to Singapore's low birth rate. The private sector is the best medium to grow the economy. Singapore's domestic economy is currently dominated by major state-linked companies which stifle both creativity and competition. The ruling party has to relinquish control of Singapore's economy and return the ownership of the nation to the people. Only then can we harness the full potential of every Singaporean and build a knowledge-based economy to compete with the rest of the world. Unless the political economy is liberalized to allow new players to enter the fray, Singapore will risk becoming an economic basket-case within a decade with the emergence of China and India. The factors critical for Singapore's success in the last fifty years have now become its liability. While complete political control ensures stability and continuity, it does not foster an active citizenry to partake in the nation-building process. A "tops-down" approach serves only the interests of the ruling elite and not the society as a whole. We are already witnessing the pitfalls of the present system: the middle class is falling behind, Singaporeans are getting increasingly flustered, unhappy and worried about their futures, birth rates are falling and the sense of pride in Singapore as a nation is diminishing with each passing day. If we persist in doing things as they are now, we may end up becoming a playground only for the rich and powerful, but with no nation to speak of.    Read More →

EDITORS' NOTE: The below email has been circulating around in cyberspace and was forwarded to us for publication. For those of you who knows the identity of the author, please keep it strictly confidential. Please forward this to all your male Singaporean loved ones and friends. This is something that actually happened to me and I feel that it needs to be shared. I believe my experience will help your male loved one stay out of trouble. On the morning of 18th February at about 9.50 am I was standing at Coffee Bean (Novena Square) counter, ordering my usual cup of mocha latte before heading into the office as usual. Behind me was a row of leather cushions that the mall has provided. In the corner of my eyes, I noticed a middle aged Chinese lady with an umbrella and a cold storage plastic bag, looking really nervous, glancing around every now and then. The lady had shoulder length hair tied up neatly in a pony tail and looked pretty plain, wearing just a normal t-shirt and jeans – nothing too revealing. She was about mid 20s to early 30s and pretty pleasant looking I must say. But her eyes were scary when she stared intently at me for a short moment I did not pay much attention to her as I thought she was waiting for the slimming centre to open. I carried on my business as usual, glancing through the Today newspaper. As I made my way towards the direction of Banquet coffee shop, she stood up and walked towards my direction. What happened next caught me completely by surprise. The lady stopped directly in front me of, stared at me and suddenly screamed “Why you touch me?” Only then did I realise from her unmistakable accent that she is from China. I said “Sorry? What are you talking about?” I was more in shock then angry. The first thing that came to my mind was, is this some woman that I accidentally brushed on the train this morning? She did not bother to explain but kept on screaming and pointing her index finger at me “Why you touch me!” about 4 or 5 times. She then squatted, covering her face and cried, crying out over and over again that I had touched her. I was really lost. There were some people walking past me and I felt like a criminal standing there, while people gave me this disgusted look. All the while I was trying to talk to the China lady but she remains in a squatted position, covering her face and crying. At this point of time, a Malay bang in light blue coloured uniform walked over from Banquet. Seeing the situation he asked me what happened. The lady stood up and said that I had “touched” her. She then told the Malay bang that I need to giver her $500 to “see doctor” or else she would report me to the Chinese Embassy. She took out her hand phone and took several photos of me. The Malay bang then said, “Bro, I think we better call the police”. At this point of time, I have gotten over my shock and anger was slowly taking over. I nodded to the Malay bang in agreement. I took out my hand phone too. But instead of taking her photo, I dialled 999 immediately. “I am calling the police myself. Let them settle the matter”. I said calmly to the both of them. At this point of time, she picked up her plastic bag and umbrella, and swiftly left towards the direction of Tan Tock Seng hospital – even before my call could connect! We were left there puzzled. Somehow I was relieved that it was over and did not want to proceed with the call. The Malay bang asked me if I was ok. All I said was “Thanks”. He patted my shoulder and walked away towards the direction of Coffee Bean. Several patrons inside banquet were already witnessing the commotion. I just wanted to get out of there. In case something like this happens to you or your loved ones, do not make the same mistake I did, trying to console the woman. Immediately take out your hand phone, take a photo of her and call the police. Please help to spread this around to our Singaporean husbands, sons, brothers and friends. Please, my dear Singaporeans, look around you, what has happened to our country? Where have all these pests come from? Think about your loved ones and your other Singaporean friends. Forward this story and make sure that they know what to do when the same thing happens to them.  Read More →